Wise, Shortstop, Boston, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This baseball card of Wise, the Boston shortstop, was produced around 1887 by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. At first glance, it’s simply a portrait, yet the motifs here resonate far beyond the baseball field. Consider the baseball bat: an early ancestor of the club, a symbol brandished by Heracles. The Boston team name emblazoned across Wise’s chest speaks to the collective identity, the tribe united under a single banner. This harkens back to ancient heraldry where symbols on shields denoted lineage, loyalty, and power. Even the act of collecting these cards mirrors the ritualistic hoarding of relics. Just as medieval churches competed for fragments of saints, baseball fans amassed these portraits, hoping to capture a piece of their heroes’ essence. This is a tangible connection to something greater than themselves. The image of Wise transcends the sport, and taps into something fundamental about the human psyche. The collective unconscious, the desire to connect with heroism, belonging, and the passage of time.